Recent developments, then, include further streamlining of the computerized registration systems as well as a gradual outsourcing of the management of private civil status data. Further, the Danish population can today interact with the public authorities, such as the National Register via the online identity verification systems of Digital Signatur and NemID. These ID systems also provide access to private internet banking so we are seeing a melding of fundamental private and public data bases and registration systems. To cut cost and increase convenience, the line between public and private register data is blurring, but this also means that the consequences of misuse or security breaches become exponentially more catastrophic. Security glitches can increase the danger of third-party data abuse, and the amalgamation of registers increases the potential for state control of the individual. The temptation among politicians, for example, to examine specific groups ‘for the sake of the common good’ can become irresistible…

I believe the system records religious faith, is that right ? Maybe there’s an option for concealing this, but given the seriousness with which some religions regard attachment to the faith I can see that, say, Muslims might not want to claim they’re not Muslim. In which case maybe we have to worry about stuff like this.

CPR data has generally been well protected against misuse. There is no example of private individuals having inappropriately accessed CPR data, for example via hacking, but there have been occasional reports of abuse by people authorized to access CPR. One example is a police officer who was sentenced and fined DKK 10,000 for making unauthorized background checks on his ex-wife’s new lover, on her new friends and her new neighbors, and for sharing that personal information with his new girlfriend. He had also made illegal searches on behalf of a former girlfriend, who was adopted and wanted to find out about her own background. He had further investigated a neighbor to see if she was illegally receiving social welfare benefits (Politiken 2007c). It is, however, private fraudulent use of third party CPR numbers that pose a bigger threat to personal privacy …

CCTV, Facial recognition, Data trails all over the place, the idea of freedom is challenged by the predictable “If you haven’t got anything to hide whats the problem” rhetoric. Privacy, choice, security, autonomy, anonymity I could go on but Orwell did a better job.

Many years ago I had a French girlfriend.
Her younger teenage brother had been prosecuted for possession of a very small amount of cannabis.
(This may well be a lot more relaxed now).

He was hanging out with his mates when the police stopped and asked all of them for their ID cards.
These were all then swiped on a machine.
As soon as they found one had a record their attitude to the whole group changed, they were all searched and given a hard time.

This and subsequent posts on ID cards are proper pearls of wisdom. Rarely do mere mortals see a really intelligent mind tackling such issues but when it happens it’s a thing of beauty and I write this with total sincerity. Mr VB have you ever thought about babysitting, I’d pay you a hell of a lot more than people do for you to resurrect their old valve amps.

Awww … thanks Paul (have you been on the pop again ?). There’s two sides to any argument and I can see benefits to a rationalised ID system too. But when they go wrong they seem to go really, really wrong. It was good to hear that the Danish one doesn’t have a mandatory carrying requirement though.

As for babysitting, I got that out of my system when I was a teenager thanks (I’m the oldest of four and my two half-brothers are 10 and 12 years younger than me - they’re lovely now ). I would’ve suggested you find a good-natured au pair, but they might be hard to come by relatively soon …

It was the scientific analysis and all angles thinking that really struck me. I guess your crazy scientist background has given you the ability to see all possibilities, weigh up the data and come down on the side of good reason. Realistic prediction outweighs assumption every time for me.
Not looking for you to be an au pair ( although with a cape ) it’s the brain I’m after.